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IFEX members demand justice for killed journalists

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Free expression groups demand an end to impunity after the massacre of at least 30 journalists in the Philippines.

via CPJ

Last week's deadly attack on journalists in the Philippines is rooted in a culture of impunity that has become worse under the current regime, with a brutal intolerance for independent views. The shock of the recent massacre of at least 30 journalists and media workers has prompted 52 IFEX members to call on the authorities in the country to face the larger problems that restrict free expression.

An environment where violence and crime go unpunished, when the problem of impunity "festers", results in such tragedies, says the joint action by 52 members, led by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), and the Bangkok-based regional Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA). "The massacre of journalists in Maguindanao staggers our community. It is a crime of such scale and horror that is incomparable to anything we have seen." More journalists have been killed under Arroyo's watch than under any other government in the Philippines.

The joint action is calling on the Philippine government to bring the perpetrators to justice, and rejects proposals for emergency rule and military control which would only further restrict access to information.

In a separate statement, Human Rights Watch says allegations of the involvement of security forces and local militias should be fully investigated.

Human Rights Watch says the recent massacre reveals "the failure of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's administration to hold accountable perpetrators of extrajudicial killings." Hundreds of left-wing political party members, human rights activists, journalists, and outspoken clergy have been killed or disappeared since President Arroyo took office in 2001.

The roadside ambush and murder of relatives and supporters of Ismael Mangudadatu took place on 23 November. The group was abducted and killed in order to prevent Mangudadatu from running against Andal Ampatuan, the current mayor and a member of the ruling party. Local journalists told Reporters Without Borders (RSF) that the journalists and lawyers in the group were killed to eliminate witnesses.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reports that 59 bodies have now been found in shallow graves, often beheaded and severely mutilated. RSF reports that authorities have arrested Andal Ampatuan Jr, the leading suspect in the massacre and that several members of the local police have been detained.

According to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), an IFJ affiliate, attacks on the press continue. Three unidentified people shot at the home of Negros Press Club president and former NUJP national chairman Edgar Cadagat in Bacolod City on 27 November. Cadagat was not home during the attack.

IFJ has called for a Global Day of Solidarity on 9 December to support colleagues in the Philippines in their demand for justice. The day of action will coincide with an IFJ international mission to Manila, the capital, on 7 to 10 December.

For more information about the IFJ appeal and the IFJ Safety Fund to help the NUJP and families of the killed journalists, please see:

Two people were convicted of murdering journalists in 2016. Nevertheless, the Philippines remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to practice journalism, and violent attacks against media workers usually go unpunished.

Impunity for crimes against journalists was compounded by a lack of progress in trials related to the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, an election-related crime in which 32 journalists and other media staff were among the 58 people killed.

Press freedom in the Philippines continued to be under attack from 2014 to 2015. The killing of journalists is continuing, with four journalists killed from May 2014 to May 2015. The trial of the accused masterminds of the Ampatuan (Maguindanao) Massacre and their supposed henchmen is continuing, but with a primary accused was released, while a witness in the same case was killed.

CMFR has issued a monograph report on the issues of journalists' safety, from the perspective of owners/their representatives. The report included discussions on how the owners see their responsibilities and their capacity to provide protection, the problems and what they perceive to be the most serious challenge to the protection of journalists

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